Ottawa man gets nearly 8 years for child porn

An Ottawa man was sentenced to 7½ years in federal prison for amassing a large collection of child pornography over more than four years, federal authorities announced today.

Jay Arthur Widemann, who pleaded guilty last October to receiving child pornography, admitted that he had collected more than 10,500 illicit images and videos, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Widemann formerly owned an appliance store in Ottawa and there were no allegations or indications of any sexual contact with minors.

Widemann was also ordered to pay $70,000 in restitution - $10,000 to each of seven identified victims - and he was placed on supervised release for five years following his prison term by U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo, the statement said.

The Ottawa Police Department received information from the Dutch National Police in Holland that a computer in Ottawa had been used to download child pornography from a Dutch website with massive collections of child pornography, the statement said.

The internet protocol address of that computer was traced to Widemann’s store in Ottawa and after further investigation, Ottawa police learned that Widemann maintained a large collection of child pornography on his computers at his store and residence, which he had accumulated between 2004 and 2009, the statement said.

Widemann’s “collection of child pornography contained approximately 10,532 images and videos of child pornography, including acts of penetration, extreme degradation, bestiality, and bondage,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennie Levin wrote in a sentencing memo.

Widemann was ordered to surrender on April 2 and must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for release. There is no parole in the federal prison system.